(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first 6 months of 2017, the favorable weather facilitated fishing activities in the country. According to the report of Directorate of Fisheries, in the period, the total output of fishery was estimated at 3.328 million tons, up 4.2% from the same period last year. Of that, the capture output touched 1.66 million MT, up 4.7% and aquaculture production hit 1.67 million MT, increasing by 3.8% (brackish water shrimp volume hit 195,000 MT, up 7.7%; pangasius output was 550,000 MT, up 4.7%).

Compared to the 2017 plan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total output completed 48.2% of the plan; in which capture production completed 55.4% of the plan and aquaculture output completed 42.8% of the plan (brackish shrimp output completed 29.5% of the plan, pangasius output completed 47.8% of the plan).

According to the General Department of Customs, as of June 15th 2017, Vietnam’s seafood exports valued at US$3.18 billion. The figure in the first half of the year was US$3.6 billion, up 14.4% on par with the same period of 2016, completing 50.7% of the plan. According to the General Statistics Office, the value of seafood production in QII/2017 reached VND91,896.5 billion, up 5.17% year on year, of which, that for aquaculture estimated at over VND50 trillion, up 5.4%, and that for capture was nearly VND42 trillion, up 4.9%.

In the first half of 2017, the area for brackish water shrimp farming estimated at 625.2 thousand hectares, an increase of 2.9% over the same period of 2016. Of that, the farming area for black tiger shrimp was 580,2 thousand ha, that for whiteleg shrimp was 45,000 ha. In the period, shrimp production totaled 195 thousand MT, up 7.7% over the same period, of which black tiger shrimp output hit 115 MT and whiteleg shrimp output reached 80 MT. In the first 6 months of the year, the area for pangasius farming touched 3.2 thousand ha, equal to the same period of 2016, with the output of 550 thousand MT, up 4.7%

In the Northern fishing season of 2016-2017, the total capture output increased by 5.04% from a year before, of which, marine catch went up 4.84%.